Valentine's Day Offer
by MegaOtaku777
Summary: When Seiji tells Namie over the phone that he's taking Mika and leaving the country, she falls apart. But can Izaya put her back together with a box of chocolates?


As the last bow was in place, tightly secured around each of the bright, shiny, red packages, Izaya let loose a sigh of happiness. In front of him were four brightly decorated heart-shaped boxes, each with a big red bow and a hand-written note that said: _"From Kanra-chan!" _He had long ago figured out that the people whom he chatted with online were Shizuo, Mikado, Kida, and Shinra. And, since it was Valentine's Day, he had come up with not only a way to toy with them, but freak them out as well.

The information broker relaxed back into his leather sofa, enjoying the chaos and confusion that was soon to come.

~About two hours later~

Izaya opened his apartment door, smiling like a fool. All of the packages had been delivered, and he had the luck to run into Shizuo. He enjoyed the times when they got into their little fights; it made him feel so alive.

The smile faltered when his joyous eyes met with the smoldering ones of his assistant, Namie, who was standing in front of him, tapping her foot impatiently. "Where have you been?" she asked testily, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's been almost two and a half hours since you left, and I had to tell six people to call later, because their savior Izaya isn't in right now."

There was little that Izaya didn't know. In fact, he was aware of how many people he had inconvenienced while he was out. What he didn't know, however, was that Namie had been through quite a lot that day.

Not only had she been answering phone calls all day, but Izaya had hidden her favorite slippers under the kitchen sink just to toy with her. And, while she spent hours every day tending to the book collection, making sure that it was organized by author then title, he had stayed up the previous night making sure that everything was backwards and upside down on the shelves. Not to mention that he had neglected to tell her that they were all out of strawberry waffles, her favorite.

Normally, she could deal with that, as she did almost every day. But something else had happened that she hadn't been ready for.

It was the day of love, and, while she had been expecting a phone call from her brother just to say hello, she hadn't been able to get to the phone on time, so the answering machine had recorded her brother's voice. He had called her to tell her that he was thankful for all she had done for him, but was leaving the country to settle down with That Girl. Namie had spent the better part of the past two hours crying, worn out from the stress, and it still showed on her face.

But, though Izaya prided himself on being the expert on humans, he didn't pick that up. He couldn't figure out anything about his secretary, actually. No matter how hard he stared at her, all the mysteries about the woman still perplexed him. He thought something was off that night, but he just put it down to the 'slippers and waffles' game.

"Why the long face, Namie-chan?" he said airily, dancing past her still-rigid body. "I was just out playing with the humans, like any other day."

"'Like any other day,' huh?" she scoffed. "Then why did you decide to take four boxes of highly-expensive chocolate out into town this morning, and not bring them back? Surely you didn't eat them by yourself," she said, sarcasm dripping from her words.

"It's Valentine's Day!" he exclaimed with a grin on his face, his arms thrown wide. The hem of his coat skittered around his waist as he twirled in circles. "Isn't it natural that I show humans some affection today?"

"Then why were they all addressed to _boys_?"

Izaya stopped spinning, coming to face Namie with a stern look. "Why were you spying over my shoulder?" he almost growled. "Didn't I tell you not to do that?"

"I wasn't spying," she replied nonchalantly. "I just happened to glance over your shoulder when you were writing them." Izaya hesitantly bought this, as he figured that she had no reason to lie to him. Without a word, he tossed a package onto the coffee table and disappeared into his room, where he had a small chess board that he loved to play with.

Namie opened the bag, pulling out a box of strawberry waffles. It was still cold from the grocery store freezer. A smile almost graced her lips, but she squashed it as she remembered the phone call. She made her way over to the desk, shuffling her feet, sat down in Izaya's chair, and pressed play on the answering machine. She slumped over in depression as she listened to her brother's voice, probably for the last time.

"Hey sis," the mechanical voice said, "it's me, Seiji. Listen, I won't be coming back. Mika said that the air in Ikebukaro is too much for her; that she needs a change of pace. We decided to relocate to the United States. We're going to make a fresh start there, with no Black Riders or Dulahans. I'll miss you, but it's for the best. I'll call you later." The tone sounded after that, signaling that her brother had hung up.

Anyone else would have held out hope at the last statement, where Seiji said that he would call later. Not Namie. She knew that when her brother said he would do anything later, he never did, whether it was taking out the garbage or doing his math homework.

A small tear slipped down Namie's face as she made her way back to her room, the waffles forgotten on the coffee table. She passed underneath the balcony where Izaya was standing, leaning against the railing. He had heard and seen the whole thing.

Honestly, he felt kind of bad for the woman. Her only love had just abandoned her, even if it was her own brother. Sure, he wasn't opposed to incest, but he wasn't for it either. The way he figured it, the humans could do whatever they wanted, as long as he could watch. Not in a creepy way, of course. He just wanted to observe them in their natural environment. But he could barely handle it when a human got hurt, especially emotionally.

The wheels in his mind started turning, and a grin formed on his thin lips. He knew a way to make his beloved human smile again.

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That night, Namie lay on her bed, her body on its side and her head buried in her hands. The message kept replaying in her mind over and over. She couldn't get it out. She was about to scream in frustration and tear her hair out, but a knock on the door interrupted her. "Come in," she called, not bothering to rise. The door opened and shut behind her. "What do you want, Izaya?" she asked testily. No one responded.

Namie sat up, wiping off the tears that had been streaming down her cheeks. In front of the door was a small, red box, a pink bow resting on top. The box was in the shape of a heart, and she could smell the distinct scent of chocolate drifting from the package. A small card, home-made with pink, red, and white paper, sat on the bow. She picked it up cautiously, reading the words out loud.

"Dear Namie-chan,

I know you were upset with me, and the lack of gifts for you. The truth is that I just didn't know what to get for you. I know that you don't prefer sentimental things, except for when they come from your brother. But now, he's not going to give you anything else besides hurt, is he?"

As she was reading, her voice eventually became mixed with Izaya's, until his voice was the only one speaking.

"I heard his message. I saw your reaction. And to be honest, I don't think I can forgive him."

Izaya opened the door, facing Namie. His face wore a peculiar expression; one she had never seen before. His cheeks were tinted pink, his eyes were looking everywhere but at her, and he was fidgeting. Izaya never, NEVER, got nervous. He was always cool, calm and collected. But now, the mask had fallen. Namie looked down, realizing that he was no longer reciting the words on the paper. He was speaking from the heart.

"I can't forgive him because he hurt you. He made you cry. You've been with me for a couple years now, and I have come to…have feelings for you. I feel myself wanting to protect you from everyone who would try and get close to you." All this time, Izaya had been inching closer and closer, trying to get Namie to put down her barriers, to let him in. It worked. He was now clutching her upper arms, staring down into her eyes.

"What I'm trying to say is that…I love you, Namie Yagiri. And I'll be with you, if you'll let me." They were both blushing like mad now, and Izaya was clutching the woman to his chest. A small tear dripped down her face, only to roll down the leather of Izaya's jacket and become absorbed into the fur at the bottom. Suddenly, Namie pulled away, shoved Izaya out of the room, and slammed the door. She slid down the wood, her head buried in her hands once more.

She had only gotten the new that day that Seiji was leaving, and Izaya knew that. How could he ask her that when he knew that she was in this kind of state? She glanced back down at the box of chocolates, picking them up and hugging them to herself. And, it might have been her imagination, but she thought she could smell a hint of Izaya's cologne, the one she loved to inhale whenever he walked by her.

She turned his offer over in her mind slowly, contemplating the possibilities. Sure, she had harbored this thought that she might be developing feelings for her employer, but she always put it down to her pining over Seiji. Now, she wasn't so sure. She opened the box, taking one of the chocolates out and popping it into her mouth.

Maybe she would take him up on his offer…


End file.
